Recipe Archives->Breads Machine->Pita 01

Pita Bread

1 1/8 cup water
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Place all ingredients in bread pan, select Dough setting and start.
When dough has risen long enough, machine will beep. Turn dough
onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll and stretch dough into
12 inch rope

With a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into a
smooth ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6 to 7 inch
circle. Set aside on a lightly floured countertop. cover with a
towel. Let pitas rise about 30 minutes until slightly puffy.

Preheat oven to 500 F. Place 2 or 3 pitas on a wire cake rack.
Place cake rack directly on oven rack. Bake pitas 4 to 5 minutes
until puffed and tops begin to brown. Remove from oven and immediately
place pitas in a sealed brown paper bag or cover them with a damp
kitchen towel until soft. Once pitas a softened, either cut in half
or split top edge for half or whole pitas. They can be stored in
a plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days or freezer for
1 or 2  months.

Avoid using too much flour while rolling them out. Keep unrolled
balls covered to prevent drying out.

Handle with care while rolling and transferring. Tears or creases
cause them not to puff up while baking.

Avoid overbaking-they will turn crisp and brittle.

Printable version: pita01.txt.